Asked about Sen. Marco Rubio’s decision to seek re-election, Minority Leader Harry Reid suggested suing the Florida Republican for all the pay he received while missing votes during his ill-fated White House campaign.  

“Let me give you my thoughts. First of all, on the day he announces he’s running for the Senate, he misses a very important Foreign Relations meeting,” said Reid, D-Nev. “Here’s how I feel about this: I feel that Marco Rubio should be sued to pay back all the money that the federal government paid him while he was off playing around, running for president.”  

“Not only did he take those checks. He cashed every one of them, every month. He was never here, and the state of Florida was missing a senator during that period of time,” Reid said. “So Marco Rubio, in my opinion, owes the American taxpayers and owes the people of the state of Florida some time.”  

Reid had begun to turn away by the time a reporter asked a follow-up question about whether he felt the same about Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who is a member of the Democratic caucus.  

Rubio and Sanders were both absent perpetually during their White House campaigns, though the Senate offices remained active. It is customary for senators to miss legislative business while they are campaigning for president.  

Reid never answered.  

Contact Lesniewski at NielsLesniewski@cqrollcall.com and follow him on Twitter @nielslesniewski.